Poets and Princes offers a richly
textured interdisciplinary survey of late medieval and early
Renaissance court cultures across Europe as they are reflected in
the neo-Latin verse of the itinerant poet, Johannes Michael
Nagonius.

Poets and Princes offers a richly textured interdisciplinary survey of late medieval and early Renaissance court cultures across Europe as they are reflected in the neo-Latin verse of the itinerant poet, Johannes Michael Nagonius. In 1496 the poet laureate Nagonius presented Henry VII with a manuscript of Latin panegyric poetry. This elaborate diplomatic gift from Pope Alexander VI solicited the King’s support against Charles VIII of France. The verse emphasized the mutual benefit of an alliance: if Henry supported him the Pope would acknowledge disputed Tudor claims to England’s throne. For Henry, the gift represented a literary and political coup. With all the rhetorical skill of a learned poet, Nagonius presented the King as a classical hero on an epic scale in the latest Italian style. The work thus acknowledged Henry’s international significance. Other recipients of Nagonius’s panegyric verse include Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Vladislav II of Bohemia, Louis XII of France, Doge Leonardo Loredan, the condottieri Niccolò Orsini and Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, Giovanni Bentivoglio, lord of Bologna, and Duke Ercole d’Este of Ferrara. The presentation of a deluxe manuscript to Julius II, celebrating the pontiff ’s campaign in the Romagna, marked the climax of the poet’s career.

This analysis of the life and works of Nagonius thus provides a fascinating insight into the world of late medieval and early Renaissance court cultures. It contributes to the growing field of neo-Latin scholarship, examining the manuscripts and para-texts, studying the relationship between volume and dedicatee, placing these manuscripts within the wider literary and artistic cultures of the courts where they were presented, and investigating the role of neo-Latin verse within court cultures.

Paul Gwynne received his Ph.D. in Combined Historical Studies from the Warburg Institute, University of London. His research interests include the reception of the Classical Tradition with particular emphasis on the development of Humanism in Renaissance Rome.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Classical Authors and Texts

List of Illustrations

Introduction: Trahimur omnes studio laudis

The Scope of this Book

A Note on the Transcriptions

Part I: Johannes Michael Nagonius, civis Romanus et poeta laureatus

Chapter 1. Johannes Michael Nagonius

Towards a Biography of Johannes Michael Nagonius

The ‘Biography’ of Giovanni Michele Pingonio

Part II: The Panegyric Works of Nagonius

Chapter 2. Iam nova progenies caelo demittitur alto

Latin Panegyric Poetry

The Renaissance Theory of Panegyric

The Gift of Immortality

Nagonius and the Panegyric Tradition

Chapter 3. An Italian Poet Abroad

The Adventus of Piotr Vapowski, 1493

‘Sic ego sum Caesar Maximilianus orbis herus

’: A Manuscript for Maximilian, 1494

A Renaissance Court in England: A Manuscript for Henry VII, 1496

A Manuscript for Vladislav II, 1497

Conclusion

Chapter 4. French Connections

‘Accipe fatalem clypeum’

: A Manuscript for Louis XII, 1499

Further Connections

A Manuscript for Pierre, Duke of Bourbon, c. 1500

A Manuscript for Ercole d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, c. 1500

A Manuscript for Filiberto II, Duke of Savoy, 1501

A Manuscript for Guglielmo II, Marquis of Monferrat, 1508

Conclusion

Chapter 5. Venice and the Caesars

A Manuscript for Doge Leonardo Loredan, c. 1503

‘Tu alter Caesar eris’

: A Manuscript for Niccolo Orsini, 1507

A Compendium of Roman History: A Manuscript for Andrea Gritti, 1502

Chapter 6. The Last Crusade

‘Hierusalem miserere tuae’

: A Manuscript for Pope Julius II, 1509

Chapter 7. ‘Go Little Book’

A Strategy for Recognition

Decoration and Illumination

The Identity of the Illuminators

A Note on the Script

A Note on the Watermarks

Chapter 8. Conclusion

Part III: Panegyric Compositions and Catalogue

Chapter 9. A Selection of the Panegyric Compositions of Nagonius

The Senators and Matrons of Rome

The Oration and Verses to Welcome Piotr Vapowski to Rome

Dedicatory Letter to Maximilian I

A Hunting Expedition among the Ruins of Ancient Rome

Epigrams for Philip, Archduke of Burgundy, and Arthur, Prince of Wales

Descriptions of Buda, Jerusalem, and Constantinople

The Battle of Fornovo

An Epithalamium for Guglielmo II, Marquis of Monferrat, and Anne D’Alencon

The Foundation of Venice by Antenor

The Venetian Senate

The Vision of Francesco Maria della Rovere

Catalogue of Manuscripts and Printed Books by Nagonius

Manuscripts

Vienna, Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek, MS 12.750 (suppl. 350)

York, Minster Library, MS XVI.N.2

Prague, Narodni a Universitni Knihovna, MS VIII. H.76 (1659)

Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France, MS lat. 8132

Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France, MS lat. 8133

Modena, Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, MS Est. lat. 234 (α.M.5.2)

Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale, MS F.V.5.

Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana,

MS Fondo Cimelii I.165 inf.

Citta del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Vat. lat. 5213

Venice, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, MS lat. XII, 75 (=3950)

Venice, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, MS lat. Z. 407 (=1585)

Citta del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Vat. lat. 1682

Dubious Attribution

Venice, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, MS lat. X. 253 (=3751)

Lost Works

Six Books of Poems Dedicated to Giovanni Bentivoglio of Bologna

Book of Poems Dedicated to Gian Giacomo Trivulzio

Printed Books

Poznań, Biblioteka Narodowa, E.XXIII.39

Bibliography

Index Locorum Citatorum

Index of Proper Names

Review

"The major strenght of this book is the masterful combination of the historical and literary approaches, which reveals the importance of Nagonius's poetry within its political, historical, and social context. (...) What makes Poets and Princes stand out is Gwynne's extensive and exhaustive research, and the exquisite organization of the material, which is analyzed for its literary value and presented through an historical perspective. This valuable book is excellent in conception and execution. (...) Gwynne revives the figure of Nagonius as a poet within his intellectual, social, cultural and political context, making this book interesting for scholars of Renaissance literature, culture, and history, as well as scholars of the classical tradition." (Lilia Campana, in: Neo-Latin News, 63, 1&2, 2015, p. 64-66)